


Seems like a dream (they got me hypnotized)

by Nerdofmanytalents



Series: As Long as You Follow [1]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Episode: s03e14 The Return, F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-24
Updated: 2018-10-24
Packaged: 2019-08-06 20:31:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16394594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nerdofmanytalents/pseuds/Nerdofmanytalents
Summary: Oliver is tasked with retrieving information from QC under orders from Amanda Waller.  He is unexpectedly interrupted.





	Seems like a dream (they got me hypnotized)

**Author's Note:**

> This story operates on the trope that somehow before leaving on the Queen's Gambit, Oliver met Felicity and they had an intimate night together, resulting in a little boy.

_ “You have to go.” _

 

Oliver's has to stop his eyes from panning the room as Maseo’s voice comes back over the comm.

 

“I'm not done.”

 

Before Maseo’s can speak again, the elevator down the hall dings loudly in the silent executive floor, followed by the clicking of heels. For a moment, Oliver’s heart leapt into his throat, convinced his mother was heading into her office. Her office that he had broken into and was currently mining data off of. 

 

_ “You have to go, someone's coming-” _

 

A moment later, a woman's voice echoed down the hall that was decidedly not his mother's. 

 

“-Yes, Mr Jackson, I was about to call you. I finished the updates on the workstations on the lower executive floor that were gummed up--Jonas, no, those are Mommy’s thumb drives, not for playing--oh! No, sir, I was talking to my son, QC daycare had to drop him off with me when they closed a few hours ago. Not that it's an inconvenience! He's a well behaved kid, I promise, doesn't eat cords or anything. That was a training process, I tell you. Which…. Is not something my boss needs to know. Sorry sir. What I mean to say is I am finishing up here, just dropping off the physical memo about the update on Mrs Queens desk before leaving.”

 

Oliver peeked from behind his new hiding place around the corner to see a blonde woman walk in, dressed in a black pencil skirt, white polka dotted shirt and kitten heels, a toddler balanced on her hip and a phone pressed to her ear. She looked vaguely familiar to him, but was definitely not old enough to be an executive or peer of his mother's. The girl looked to be in her early 20’s, and Oliver ruefully rationalized to himself that it was possible he recognized her as one of his past “conquests.” He watched the woman as she continued her phone conversation. 

 

“Thank you again for the opportunity for the overtime, Mr Jackson. I take this job very seriously and I plan to stick with QC for as long as I can…..of course, I'll see you on Wednesday when you get back to the office. Goodnight sir.”

 

The woman hung up her phone, before lightly bouncing the little boy in her arms. 

 

“All done with the grumpy guy! Almost time to go home, little dude. About time, too, mama is  _ starving _ , and it is way past your bedtime.”

 

Oliver blinked at the woman’s abrupt tone change from professional to chipper, and couldn't help the grin that crossed his face when the toddler let out a happy yell before shaking the lanyard around the blonde's neck. 

 

“Mama! Done! Keys keys!”

 

She chuckled, extracting the lanyard from the enthusiastic child’s grip. 

 

“No, not keys, ‘USB’ my silly man. Let's drop this off then go home.”

 

The woman made her way around the desk, and Oliver was surprised when she slowed to look at the picture on the desk, unable to read her face from this far away as she stopped. He felt a burst of panic when the boy in her arms lurched towards the shiny frame, but his mother was on top of it.

 

“No, Jonas, baby, that's not ours. Although he is a handsome man, just like you.” She smiled down at the wiggly boy. “He was a charmer, too.”

 

“Daaa, mama, mine!” The boy lurched for the photo again. 

 

“No, not yours, baby. That belongs to Mrs Queen. That's a picture of her son. Oliver.” The woman's voice went quieter, and he could barely hear it even in the silent floor. “Oliver Jonas Queen…”

 

Oliver felt his curiosity rise as the woman continued to stare at the picture, before she sighed loudly, turning her attention to the little boy and tugging his shirt down from where it had ridden up during her hip carry. 

 

“He was a bit of a tool at first,” He heard her finally say, and he found himself staring at her as she confirmed his theory that she must have been one of the many women that he'd encountered during his wild days. “But once he realized I wasn't going to fall for his regular act, he was actually…. Kinda nice. We didn't part on such great terms though.” She sighed again, reaching out to straighten the frame on the desk. “He's dead now. Which…. Is too bad. Moreso for him than us, I guess. Drowning is an awful way to go.”

 

As he watched the woman stand there for a minute, Oliver wracked his brain trying to remember the instance she spoke of but still drawing a blank. Between his former penchant for alcohol, the number of women he'd made a move on, and the sheer number of weekend jaunts to Vegas he and Tommy had made over the years, it seemed as though she had somehow fallen from his remembrance. He found himself regretting that he'd forgotten such an obviously vibrant woman. 

 

“Mama, go.” The young boy finally reached to tug at the lanyard around her neck again to grab her attention, and a sunny smile that looked a little brittle to him crossed her face. 

 

“Right you are, Jo-Jo Man. Time to go. Mama has  _ got _ to stop talking to you like you have a vocabulary capable of adult conversation. People are gonna think I'm  _ crazy _ .” She playfully growled the last word, tickling her son and causing him to squeal gleefully. 

 

The woman turned to leave, and Oliver listened as the sound of her heels faded down the hall, disappearing entirely when the elevator left the floor. 

 

_ “Oliver, are you clear?” _

 

He nearly startled when Maseo spoke again, shaking him out of his stupor and prompting him to return to his mother's desk. 

 

“The woman who was here is gone. She didn't see me. Let me retrieve the drive.”

 

_ “Meet me on the roof in three minutes.” _

**Author's Note:**

> There are moments in this that definitely push the boundary of plausible in regards to whether or not Oliver remembers Felicity from their first encounter and again later when he meets her again upon his return to become the Hood. I simply ask that you go easy on me, as this really is something that I wrote for my own pleasure and as with all works of fiction, sometimes logic is hand waved around the edges for the sake of the overall goal. 
> 
> My personal rationalization for memory issues fall back on the fact that memory can be fickle, especially when you consider the sheer amount of trauma and actual stressful/traumatic experiences Oliver encountered during his time away. I do plan for things to become clearer and his memory to improve, especially once Oliver finds out Jonas is his son, but the play out of this will happen as the muse overall strikes to write out what is at present only loosely plotted out in my head. If this is a bit too much for you to overlook or suspend disbelief for, I apologize but as this is a pet project for my own entertainment, I will likely not make changes. 
> 
> Thanks for your patience and the benefit of the doubt, and you are all wonderful!
> 
> I am absolutely terrible at updating regularly and writing a story linearly, so this fic is going to be part of a series of smaller stories and one-shots that I write as I feel inspired. So if you're interested in more of this verse (such as how Oliver and Felicity meet, or other events of this modified verse), make sure you subscribe to the series itself. 


End file.
